Rhetorical Triangle
Rhetorical Triangle Introduction The rhetorical triangle features three rhetorical appeals that can be used individually or together when used as rhetoric to support one’s argument. These three rhetorical strategies are logos, ethos, and pathos and represent the three points of a triangle. Aristotle believed that there was three ways to persuade somebody and they are through logos, ethos, and pathos (Study.com). As an author, it is important to persuade your point in a way that the reader will understand. The writer can easily do so by appealing to one or all three of these appeals. In English 101 specifically, students need to use the Rhetorical Triangle in their writings to help diversify the rhetoric and in effect write in an academic fashion. Logos Logos is an appeal to logic or facts. When writing it is important to keep in mind your audience. If you were writing a political piece where the purpose is trying to persuade why the republican Candidate is better, then you are trying to appeal to more conservative voters. Therefore you could use facts about high government spending on social or jobs programs. Issuing facts and statistics in these areas could persuade people who believe that the government should refrain from being involved in social issues and that jobs need to be created by the private sector. Using logos is appropriate in a variety of different pieces of work, but it always depends on who you are writing for exactly. Other than facts and statistics, other examples of logos can be found in data from surveys and questionnaires, direct observations, testimony, experiments, interviews, personal experience, and visuals (Lunsford, 289). 'Ethos ' Ethos is an appeal to the credibility of the writer or speaker. It is essentially how well the author or presenter is able to convince the audience that they are qualified. There are a few ways the author can do this. The author could explain their credentials in the field (such as if they studied blank in college), by displaying mastering skills in a particular subject, or by being introduced or seconded by a bona fide member of the particular field. . Tapping into an audience’s values is a great way to utilize ethos and convince the credibility of the author to the reader. For example, many Americans that live in the Deep South today have traditional conservative southern values. In an attempt to appeal to their values one could mention things such as the Christian church, family ties, or country music. Pathos Pathos is an appeal to the audience’s emotions. The terms sympathy, pathetic, and empathy are derived from it. It can be in the form of a metaphor, simile, a passionate delivery, or in a claim that something is not right. Pathos can be really effective because Homo sapiens have a natural response to feel empathy for someone or something that is suffering. Also photographs can be a great way to appeal to the heart. For example, a picture of a natural disaster or nuclear meltdown will no doubt create a sense of empathy for the viewer. For example, if one was writing a persuasive piece about donating to victims of a natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina, then they should use Pathos to explain that thousands of people are without homes because they were destroyed in the storm, or how aid could help children from starving in a time of desperate need. Rhetoric like that was a part of the reason why so many people volunteered their time to help rebuild homes and infrastructure, or donated money to a cause that helped out many people in need. 'References' Lunsford, Andrea A. Everyone's An Author. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 2012. Print. Study.com,. "Rhetorical Triangle: Definition & Example - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.Com". N.p., 2016. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.